Apple sued for searching store employees for stolen merchandise

Some former Apple store employees are claiming that the tech company owes them wages lost during the time they spent standing in line, waiting to be searched and prove they weren't trying to steal any store merchandise.

Amanda Frlekin and Dean Pelle filed their complaint on July 25, and seek class action status for thousands of employees who felt pennies slip away along with the minutes they waited to prove their pockets and purses weren't concealing a contraband iPhone. The lawsuit is seeking to cover employees who have worked in Apple's U.S. stores any time in the past three years, possibly longer in New York and California, where the law is slightly different.

The suit claims that workers who are paid by the hour are not reimbursed for the extra time they must wait to be searched, often between 15 and 30 minutes. That time adds up to an extra $1,400 or $1,500 annually that the lawsuit wants to recoup for the employees.